Bill Nelson And the Gentlemen Rocketeers

[telecat]

The Former frontman of Be-Bop Deluxe and prolific issuer of albums finally gets a Concert Video!!! I don't think many clips exist of Bill fronting any of his many bands so when ITV studios turned up asking Bill for a performance recording most of Bill's fans were on tenterhooks to see and hear the result. I watched and listened in LPCM Stereo but there is a DTS 5.1 mix also available. Bill did have reservations about the quality of the recording. He should not worry. First impressions are that the Stereo mix is very clear and very dynamic. The actual Stereo "effect" is very good and mimics the wide separation of the band on stage. Kudos to Bill and John Spence on that. It's as good a "live" performance as I have heard on DVD easily seeing off more expensive productions. So no problems at with the audio quality and, on my copy no Problems with "A Dream for Ian" or "For Stuart" which one viewer has had a problem with. I listened to it via my Hi Fi setup so preferred the Stereo mix and it would work as a live album the quality is that good.

The Picture quality is good and I felt it seemed to have been shot and edited pretty well. It does come across as very intimate, as Bill says, almost "erotic" but given what the production company were aiming for, it works!!! You can tell Bill has a few problems with the Monitors and does miss a few lyrics but no more than some other "live" performances I have seen.

The Main Tracks on the DVD include what many would consider Bill's Hits from the 70's onward as well as his newer work. The Four track "solo" section is well worth listening to as a snap shot of Bill's latest work as well as his command of his instruments.

All in all a "must have" DVD if you are a Bill Nelson/Be Bop Deluxe fan.